Geo. S. Hutchings (& Co.) Opus 239 (1891)

Status and Condition

The organ has been altered from the original installation as described here.
The condition of the organ is in not known or has not been reported to the Database.
We received the most recent update on this organ's state and condition February 27, 2014.
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Stoplist

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Typed stoplist from the OHS PC Database.

St. Mary's R. C., Washington, D. C.
1893 George Hutchings, Op. 239.
The organ cost $2500 new in 1893, and I knew a lady who remembered the pastor going off in a buggy to the old B & O station at the foot of the Capitol and returning followed by a horse-drawn wagon containing the crates with the organ. They apparently used orchestra and a reed organ until the organ came. Two interesting things about the installation-the 16' Diapason on the great is
not in the contract, and the facade originally was two rows-an M in front and an A on the second row. Only the end three pipes of the second row were speaking, the center being short dummies which sat on the scollop. Apparently when Mr. Hutchings installed them he realized that the window behind the organ shone through the facade and made the short dummies apparent. So the end pipes(2) which showed were tubed off to little perches beyond the edge of the facade. In fact, it is from one of these which did not get repainted that we have been able to reconstruct the patterns which were original, and plan to restore the facade soon. The building is just finished restoration, and now the facade needs it to match.
The organ was hand pumped-feeders and reservoir removed in 1964, and the water motor is still in the basement. Only last December(1996) did the District of Columbia start charging churches for water. The Bourdon 16 forms the back of the organ, and many who pumped the organ wrote and carved their names. The strange things is that there is one inscription for 1890-three years before the organ was installed, which may mean that Mr. Hutchings used a set of pipes from a previous instrument. There is no record of what if anything was in the 1845 church, which the present building replaced in 1890.
The organ has an oak case with the facade from the great Diapason 16' & Diapason 8'. The lower notes of the 16' are "monkey quints" but work quite well. The swell shutters are double, and unbelievably effective. The changes in the specification which I have made can be returned to the
original in about an half hour.
The specificaion is:
Great: Diapason 16,
Diapason 8,
Melodia 8,
Dulciana 8,
Octave 4,
Flute d'Amour 4,
Twelfth 2 2/3,
Fifteenth 2,
Mixture III,
Trumpet 8.
Swell:
Bourdon 16 Bass,
Bourdon 16 Treble,
Violin Diapason 8(now at 4),
Stopped Diapason 8,
Salicional 8,
Aeoline 8(now Voix Celeste),
Flute Harmonic 4,
Violina 4(now at 2),
Dolce Cornet III(no 3rd),
Cornopean 8,
Bassoon 8(Oboe 1-12),
Oboe 8.
Pedal Open Diapason 16,
Bourdon 16.
Bellows signal.
Great to Pedal,
Swell to Pedal,
Swell to Great.
Three swell combination pedals, two great.
Great to pedal reversible,
tremolo hookdown,
wind indicator.
Manuals 61 notes, Pedal 27 notes. Pitch A435.
All pipework which was originally cone tuned has sleeves. In addition to the one reservoir being replaced with three cone reservoirs, the keys were recovered with plastic in 1964. The action was rebushed in the mid 70's(incorrectly) and rebushed by me two years later. The organ has been
cleaned several time, and the pedal tops replaced once.(will be done again soon). The building has about 3 seconds reverberation.